


A Shock To The System

by argentumauream



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, I don't know how the keep's spacial magic works and at this point I'm too afraid to ask, Lord Arum is touch starved, Multi, Only One Bed, Polyamory, Sleepy Cuddles, Touch-Starved, also I want it known that I wrote this a mere TWO HOURS too late for lizard kissin' tuesday, how is that not a tag wtf, how is that not already a tag this lizard needs a hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-14 23:20:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29179365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/argentumauream/pseuds/argentumauream
Summary: “What do you mean you don’t know where my bedroom went?!”The keep hummed a non-committal tune, and Arum growled in frustration. While it was true that the interior of the keep didn’t exactly adhere to the same spacial rules as the outside world, he was fairly certain that didn’t mean it could just misplace parts of itself.“So you mean to tell me that you’ve just lost an entire room? Something that’s never happened in my entire life, but has happened just now, conveniently the moment I’d like to sleep?!”The keep intoned the musical equivalent of a shrug.“Why of all the-!”“Arum?”
Relationships: Lord Arum/Sir Damien/Rilla (Penumbra Podcast)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 70





	A Shock To The System

**Author's Note:**

> Working Title: "The Keep Said THERE WAS ONLY ONE BED" 
> 
> y'all this was supposed to be basically crack fic but then it got really soft. idk. the beginning is still silly as hell tho

“What do you  _ mean  _ you don’t know where my bedroom went?!”

The keep hummed a non-committal tune, and Arum growled in frustration. While it was true that the interior of the keep didn’t exactly adhere to the same spacial rules as the outside world, he was fairly certain that didn’t mean it could just  _ misplace  _ parts of itself. 

“So you mean to tell me that you’ve just  _ lost  _ an  _ entire  _ room? Something that’s never happened in my entire life, but has happened just now, conveniently the moment I’d like to sleep?!” 

The keep intoned the musical equivalent of a shrug.

“Why of all the-!”

“Arum?”

He whirled around as a door opened behind him, and out stepped Amaryllis, dressed for bed and rubbing sleep from her eyes. 

“My apologies Amaryllis, the keep and I were merely having a… discussion. I’ll try to be quieter, I didn’t realize I was so close to you and Damien’s room.”

Arum had been pretty sure he wasn’t anywhere near Rilla and Damien’s room, which was probably something else he would need to have words with the keep about later. 

Amaryllis and Damien had been staying with him in the keep for scarcely two weeks, but even in that short time it had been… an adjustment. He had always had the keep as company of course, but it wasn’t quite the same as having the two humans around. He wasn’t used to having two other creatures in his space. Finding Damien curled up with a piece of parchment in all manner of strange places, (he claimed certain poems needed to be written in different environments to come out properly) forgetting Amaryllis was there to hear him when he started thinking out loud during an experiment, it always startled him a little. He supposed that after being alone for so long, it could be a shock to the system to be close to people.

“Is everything alright with the keep?” Amaryllis frowned, stepping fully into the hallway. 

Arum sighed. “I believe so, it’s just being… difficult.” 

The keep sang a discordant, offended note.

“What would  _ you  _ call refusing to let me into my bedroom other than  _ difficult? _ ” Arum retorted. 

“It won’t let you into your bedroom?” Rilla asked, now sounding amused more than anything. “Why not?” 

“It  _ claims, _ ” Arum said doubtfully, “that it can’t  _ find  _ the way to my bedroom. Which, on top of being completely impossible, is extremely inconvenient seeing as I was about to go to sleep.” 

Amaryllis giggled, and Arum was annoyed at himself for finding it endearing when it was clearly at his expense. 

“That is weird.” She agreed. “Have you done anything to annoy the keep recently? Maybe it’s trying to get back at you for something.” 

“I most certainly haven’t!” Arum huffed. “And even if I had, this would be an extremely childish way to handle it.”

The keep sang several notes, and if they were claims that Arum could be just as childish when he wanted to be, well, the claims were certainly false and it’s not like Amaryllis could understand anyway. 

She still stifled another giggle behind her hand, understanding or no. 

“Rilla, is everything alright my love?” Came a sleepy voice from inside the bedroom. 

“It’s okay Damien, Arum’s just out here arguing with the keep.” Rilla replied, the tail end of her sentence getting caught up in a yawn. 

“You’re tired Amaryllis. I apologize for keeping you and Damien awake, you should get some sleep.” 

“Hang on, what about you?” She laughed. “If the keep can’t find your room, where are you going to sleep?” 

Arum opened his mouth and then closed it. Past arguing with the keep, he actually had no plan. Maybe he could forgo sleep altogether in favor of working on one of his projects. He was opening his mouth to say as much when a very sleepy looking Damien stumbled out of the doorway behind Rilla. 

He wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her shoulder, his voice coming out muffled when he spoke. “Rilla, my darling, are you coming back to bed? It’s terribly cold without you.”

Rilla turned her head to press a kiss to Damien’s hair. “I’m trying to help Arum figure out where he’s going to sleep, apparently the keep can’t find his bedroom.” 

Arum felt a pang of  _ something  _ as he watched them, their easy affection with each other both warming his heart and making it ache at the same time. He felt like something was tugging at his insides, almost like it wanted to pull him closer to them, like-

“Let Arum come too then.” Damien mumbled.

He was clearly still half asleep when he said it, but the silence that followed seemed to wake him just a bit. 

“That is- well- should he  _ want... _ ”

Since Amaryllis and Damien had come to stay with him, Arum had undoubtedly gotten… closer to them. Closer than he’d ever gotten to anyone, really, except the keep, but again, it wasn’t quite the same was it. But he still sometimes- oftentimes, really- felt that there was another degree of separation between him and them that they didn’t have with each other. For all that he and Rilla worked on experiments together late into the night, spent hours debating each others’ methods, he still never held her the way Damien did. For all the times Damien allowed Arum to read his poetry, blushing at the slightest compliment, Arum had never made him blush like he did when Rilla kissed his cheek and whispered something sweet into his ear. He supposed it was a silly thing to be concerned about, of course the two that had known each other for years would be a little more comfortable around each other. He was new at this, he knew it would take time. But still, loathe as he was to admit it, he was  _ jealous  _ of how easily they shared their love with each other. 

“Arum?”

He was snapped out of his thoughts by Rilla calling his attention. “Yes?”

“I said that it’s alright with me if you want to come sleep in our bed.” 

“Oh.” Arum felt his heart skip a beat in his chest.

It was stupid, wasn’t it? That something so simple as sleeping in the same bed should seem like it means so much. But what did it mean? Was this merely for convenience? It wasn’t so special that someone should want him to have a place to sleep. But what if there was more to it than that? The thought came, unbidden, of Arum spending several nights sleeping in the same bed with them. Every night, even. And the thought made that tugging feeling in his chest intensify. 

“I- er- thank you. If you don’t mind, I would... yes.” Arum stuttered out. 

There was a very awkward moment where they all just stood there, before Rilla blessedly spoke up.

“Great, I’m exhausted, let’s go.” 

She took Damien’s hand and led him back into their room, leaving Arum to trail along behind, feeling distinctly out of place. Rilla climbed into bed first, scooting to one side so Damien could settle in next to her. Then they both looked at Arum expectantly. 

The thing was, it wasn’t a very large bed. 

Damien scooted closer to Rilla to make room as Arum attempted to situate himself comfortably without invading their space too much. This resulted in him facing away from them, lying precariously on his side on the very edge of the bed. 

“Arum, I think this might be easier if you were in the middle.” Rilla said after less than a minute.

He turned slightly to look back at them. Damien was tucked under Rilla’s arm, his head resting on her chest and her hand in his hair. Arum turned away again, that ever present ache in his chest flaring.

“I wouldn’t want to interrupt your canoodling, or whatever it is you humans do.” He muttered before he could think about it.

Then he inwardly cringed at how that probably sounded. But instead of being annoyed, after a moment Rilla just started laughing.

“What’s so…” he trailed off as he turned to see Amaryllis was standing up and walking around the bed. 

When she reached the other side, she looked down at Arum and poked his shoulder. “Roll over.” She said, and Arum found he had no response other than to comply. 

He rolled so he was lying on his back in the middle of the bed, now much closer to Damien, who was leaning up on one elbow, watching the proceedings sleepily. Then Rilla was climbing back into bed on Arum’s other side, reaching down to pull the blankets over all three of them, and then scooting even closer. She nudged Arum’s arms until they were where she wanted them, then she slotted herself against his side and laid her head down on his chest. Arum went very still for a moment. 

“If you wanted to cuddle all you had to do was ask.” Rilla mumbled. Then she yawned, and cuddled closer. “Lie down Damien.” She added after a moment. 

Arum, who realized he’d been staring at Amaryllis with something akin to wonder, turned to look at Damien just in time for him to curl up against his side and throw an arm over him. Damien flushed a little a moment later and looked up at Arum bashfully. 

“Is this alright, Arum? “ He asked quietly. 

Arum barely hesitated a moment before curling his arms more securely around the two humans-  _ his  _ two humans, and replying softly, “More than alright, honeysuckle.”

Damien gave him an even softer smile before he turned and nuzzled his face into Arum’s neck.

Rilla reached over Arum’s chest to tangle her fingers with Damien’s, then leaned up to press a kiss to his cheek, and all Arum felt was warmth.

“Goodnight.” She said through a yawn as she settled back down on Arum’s chest.

“Goodnight.” Arum replied softly. 

Damien, half asleep, mumbled something against Arum’s scales that sounded like  _ goodnight my love _ , or maybe  _ goodnight my loves, _ and that made Arum’s heart flutter.

He tangled his fingers in Damien’s hair like he’d seen Rilla do, and he gave a happy little hum in response that Arum couldn’t help smiling at. With another one of his hands he gently stroked up and down Amaryllis’ back, and she curled closer to him. Arum gave a contented sigh and relaxed back against the pillows. 

It was almost overwhelming, the feeling spilling out of his heart. Were he Damien he was sure he would be writing poetry about it this very moment. But he wasn’t Damien, so instead he just let the feeling wash over him and settle in his chest, warming him almost as much as his two humans pressed close on either side. It was overwhelming, but he supposed that after being lonely for so long, it was a shock to the system to be so loved. 

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Second Citadel fic cos I just caught up yesterday, I hope y'all like it!! I simp for anyone who comments almost as much as Damien simps for Arum and Rilla.


End file.
